Chapter 11: Phoenix and Feng's Fate

  Yuan's Mansion

  Lu Zhi and Dong Zhuo politely declined Yuan Yi's hospitality and took their leave.

  Yuan Wei's face was calm as he escorted them to the door, bidding farewell with a lingering gaze. After they got into their respective cars and left one after another, he still stood at the door, seeing them off in the distance. Not until he could no longer see their shadows did he withdraw his smile and turn back into the house.

  Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were waiting in the hall. Yuan Shao's face was calm, sitting upright without moving, while Yuan Shu was somewhat impatient, twisting his neck to look around.

  "One is a former colleague of Uncle's, and the other is a protégé of Aunt's family, why does Uncle have to be so polite?"

  Yuan Wei looked at Yuan Shu with a glance, sat down in the hall, stroked his beard and said softly: "Ben Chu, what do you think?"

  Yuan Shao cleared his throat and clasped his hands: "Your Majesty is now relying heavily on these two men, with the intention of reclaiming great power. We must be careful in our response. Especially Dong Zhuo, he came at the order of my Yuan family, but now he is being deceitful towards my uncle, refusing to submit. This is not a good omen at all. He has elite cavalry and has sent people into the city as guards, listening for the Emperor's orders, it's clear what his intentions are. In case..."

  Yuan Shu said in a bad mood. Yuan Yi and Yuan Shao ignored him, treating him as if he were thin air, making him very uncomfortable. Upon hearing Yuan Shao's words, he habitually retorted: "Dong Zhuo has only a paltry three to four thousand troops, what can he do to me?"

  "You know, the imperial capital's military forces may be numerous, but they haven't been through many battles. They can intimidate civilians, but if it comes to actual combat, they're no match for the Western Liang army. The strongest among them are the five elite troops, who were under Zhang Ji's command back then, and many of whom know Dong Zhuo personally. If we engage in battle, there's no guarantee we'll be able to subdue Dong Zhuo; on the contrary, it's possible he might gain the upper hand."

  Yuan Shu's words got stuck in his throat, and he immediately rolled his eyes and said nonchalantly: "What's there to fear? Isn't there still Ding Yuan? The elite cavalry of Liangzhou are formidable, and the elite cavalry of Pingzhou aren't bad either. Not to mention that Ding Yuan has a fierce general like Lü Bu under him."

  Yuan Shao raised an eyebrow: "You're very familiar with Ding Yuan?"

  "Of course." Yuan Shu smiled complacently.

  "This is great!" Yuan Shao clapped his hands and laughed: "Uncle, with Ding Yuan, we don't have to fear Dong Zhuo. How about..."

  Yuan Shu interrupted Yuan Shao and hastily said: "I'll go find Ding Yuan, I'm familiar with him."

  Yuan Wei nodded slightly: "Then don't hesitate, go quickly. Tell Ding Yuan, I recommend him to be the Jinwu."

  "Haha, he's not going to die from beauty." Yuan Shu laughed contentedly and said: "Please rest assured, uncle, I will definitely complete the task." After finishing speaking, he hastily got up and bid farewell, striding away quickly.

  Looking at Yuan Shu leaving the door, Yuan Wei sighed: "The highway is already in its prime, why is it still so impulsive? It seems that we need to ask Xu Xuan to take a look at what kind of fate he has. Our Yuan family won't produce a vicious dragon, will it?"

  "Impossible?" Yuan Shao sighed and said: "The highway has been passed down for several generations, but none of them have the dragon's bloodline, how can it be a dragon?"

  "If it's not the dragon, what's the point of burning Zhuque Temple?" Yuan Wei's face sank: "Benchu, this time you've been a bit rash, burning Jiulong Gate is one thing, but why also burn Zhuque Temple?"

  Yuan Shao's face was somewhat unnatural. He fell silent for a moment, then pulled out the stone egg from his sleeve: "Uncle, I've sensed the phoenix egg."

  "Really?" Yuan Wei's eyes lit up, and he straightened his back involuntarily: "When? Where?"

  "When the Zhuque Gate caught fire, I was on the Jiade Hall at that time."

  Yuan Wei took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, his eyes filled with joy: "It seems that Xu Shao didn't deceive me, my Yuan family really has produced a child with a phoenix-like destiny." As he spoke, two lines of clear tears burst forth from his eyes, muttering to himself: "Heaven won't disappoint me, heaven won't disappoint my Yuan family."

  He said, rushing to Yuan Shao and kowtowing. Yuan Shao was startled and hastily avoided him, bowing in front of Yuan Wei, saying repeatedly: "Uncle, you must not, you must not. No matter what fate, I have everything today, it is all due to your cultivation. If there really is such a day, I will definitely let Uncle enjoy the honor he deserves, and let all the descendants of the Yuan family remember Uncle's merits."

  "Hahaha……" Yuan Yi looked at Yuan Shao's respectful face with satisfaction, bursting into loud laughter. After a moment, he regained his composure and said seriously: "Still need to invite Xu Xuan over, I want him to take a look at Your Majesty, today Your Majesty's reaction is somewhat abnormal."

  "It's indeed so." Yuan Shao echoed in agreement: "Uncle, could it be that the dragon egg also had a reaction with him?"

  "Dragon egg?" Yuan Wei sneered, a hint of disdain flashing between his eyebrows: "The true dragon has been dead for over a thousand years, this dragon egg probably turned to stone long ago, what kind of sensation could it possibly have?" He paused, then continued: "Not to mention that this dragon egg is already a lifeless object, even if it were alive, without any cultivation methods, what could he possibly sense? Is the divine spirit present, allowing him to sense the dragon egg?"

  In the end, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. Yuan Shao also laughed along with him. He raised his thumb: "Uncle's move of Virtual Dragon and Real Phoenix is really brilliant, no matter how hard they try to figure it out, they won't think of this layer."

  "This is not the credit of one person, but the result of several hundred years of planning by my Fengmen. Yuan Wei let out a light sigh: "I just happened to be at the right place at the right time and gave it a slight push."

  ……

  Liu Bian walked out of Chang Le Palace in disappointment.

  Empress He had been worn down by her leg injury and the sudden disaster, and she didn't have the spirit to say much more to him. As soon as he mentioned the "Taiping Scripture" and the nine-section staff, Empress He had someone go fetch them. However, Empress He raised a pressing issue: military power. The biggest problem now was to take back military power and ensure the safety of the imperial palace, rather than practicing cultivation.

  The Empress Dowager's words hit the nail on the head, and although Liu Bian had obtained the Nine-Sectioned Cudgel and the "Classic of Great Peace", he couldn't muster up any excitement. Cultivation was a long-term endeavor, and his father, the previous emperor, had cultivated for so long only to die young; could he himself succeed in cultivation?

  Even if it can be repaired, distant water cannot solve the near thirst, and of course, solving the problem of military power is more urgent.

  Liu Bian didn't say another word and immediately took action, summoning Jia Xu and Zhang Chao.

  After listening to Liu Bian's question, Zhang Hua did not speak, but turned his gaze towards Jia Xian. It was clear that when it came to fist strength, he was very confident, but when it came to thinking, he still habitually relied on Jia Xian.

  Jia Xun seemed to have been prepared for a long time and slowly opened his mouth.

  "Dongzhou Mu, although a former official of the Yuan family, will not act unfairly. However, the lack of military strength is indeed the most pressing issue at present." He raised his head: "The northern and southern armies are numerous, but they are sparse in battle array, and are not worth worrying about. Your Majesty should worry about Ding Yuan's Pingzhou army. If they are also controlled by the Yuan family, our Liangzhou army will inevitably fall behind."

  After listening to Jia Yu's words, Liu Bian didn't tense up, but instead relaxed a bit. Others might not know Jia Yu, but he still couldn't know Jia Yu? Since Jia Yu had already considered this issue, what else did he have to worry about?

  "Wen He, in your opinion, what should be done to win over Ding Yuan's men and horses?"